Squawks & Headlines ✈ General ✈ Popular (1 year)

The World's first A350-1000 has taken to the skies for the first time. It departed to Toulouse Blagnac Airport / France (TLS/LFBO) at 10:42 for a 3hr test flight. Barring bad weather that could lead to a postponement, Thursday’s approximately three-hour debut will add a new 366-seat member to the lightweight carbon-fibre A350 family, which entered service with the smaller A350-900 early last year. It is part of a game of leapfrog at the top of the market for twin-engined long-haul jets, as the… (www.thenational.ae) More...

ATSB announced on Wednesday that the final 120,000 sq km area would now be completed “by around January/February 2017”, with less than 10,000 sq km of the area to go. It attributed the delay to poor weather conditions during the southern hemisphere’s winter. (www.theguardian.com) More...

Airbus today celebrated the delivery of its 10,000th aircraft - an A350-900 for Singapore Airlines. The milestone event was marked by a special ceremony in Toulouse hosted by Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders and attended by Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines. (www.airbus.com) More...

It is something every traveller is familiar with - turning off your phone when a plane is taking off or landing, or at least switching it to flight mode. But one British passenger found out the costly way of ignoring the crew's request. Aaron McWilliam was flying from Amsterdam to Exeter last December on a Flybe jet when he refused to switch his phone to airplane mode before take-off, reports the Daily Mail. (www.stuff.co.nz) More...

Irish low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair’s announcement that it plans to start operations from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) next year drew a swift response from Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr, who called for equal treatment on airport fees. “Lufthansa and Ryanair are the biggest operators on short-haul routes within Europe. For us, it was no surprise the carrier is coming to Frankfurt. (atwonline.com) More...

U.S. President-elect earlier was displeased with costs of Boeing aircraft Ukrainian state-owned airplane manufacturer Antonov has offered its aircraft for Trump to consider using as the Presidential airplane. (uatoday.tv) More...

It is Greta’s very first time sitting in the cockpit and she has no idea how to handle the plane. BAA Training instructor Vilmantas will help her to face the challenge in Airbus A320 full flight simulator. In this experiment Greta acts as if she is alone in the cabin and tries to land an aircraft (www.youtube.com) More...

Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul airline, plans to add 37 new planes to its fleet in the fiscal year beginning April as it expands operations in Asia with new destinations. The airline will receive 21 Airbus Group SE A380 superjumbos and 16 Boeing 777s in the year ending March 2017, Chief Commercial Officer Thierry Antinori said Wednesday in Singapore. The aircraft are worth $14.5 billion at list prices.... (www.theaviationnews.com) More...

British Airways will now serve passengers just one fun-size chocolate bar instead of a meal on long-haul flights, in an attempt to save money.Hungry passengers who used to get a proper sandwich and snack before landing blasted the measly offering last night. (www.onesuccessful.com) More...

The missile that downed Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine was transported from Russia, a criminal inquiry revealed Wednesday, adding that more than 100 people were under investigation for the 2014 disaster. (www.yahoo.com) More...

The money was hidden in special compartments in her luggage and part of it was inside her clothes in a latex bodysuit. The woman had not declared the money in Moscow and to Greek customs. (www.greece.com) More...

Japanese flag carrier ANA is offering one talented artist or designer the chance to have their work displayed on the fuselage of its Airbus A380s. The Star Alliance member is taking the first of three A380s on order from early 2019, which will be used on the Tokyo-Honolulu route, and is seeking public input for designing the aircraft livery. “To commemorate the deployment of these three new aircraft, ANA is inviting both pro and aspiring amateur artists to submit designs that will get people… (australianaviation.com.au) More...

Cathay Pacific has operated the first scheduled Airbus A350-900 flight to New Zealand with CX197 touching down at Auckland Airport a few minutes before 1300 local time on Friday. (australianaviation.com.au) More...

Malaysia said on Tuesday it will send a team to retrieve a piece of debris found along the southern coast of South Africa to check whether it could belong to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The wreckage, discovered near the town of Mosselbay on Tuesday, could be from an "inlet cowling" of an aircraft engine based on early reports, the Malaysian transport ministry said in a statement, two years after MH370 disappeared. (www.reuters.com) More...

European aircraft maker Airbus (AIR.PA) aims to overtake arch rival Boeing (BA.N) in terms of annual plane deliveries by 2020, having fallen behind in recent years, Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier said in a German newspaper interview published on Monday. (uk.reuters.com) More...

Japan’s Peach Aviation has signed a firm order with Airbus for the purchase of 10 A320neo and three A320ceo. The order was announced at a signing ceremony in Tokyo today, attended by Shinichi Inoue, Managing Director and CEO, Peach Aviation and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO. The newly-ordered aircraft will join an existing A320 Family fleet at Peach currently comprising 18 A320ceo and another two on order. With the addition of the A320neo, the airline will become the first low cost… (www.routesonline.com) More...

The whale-like face that earned the original Beluga its nickname is iconic – however it wasn’t always certain this distinctive feature would be carried over to the new-generation Beluga XL, which was launched in 2014 based on Airbus’ highly-versatile A330 jetliner. In contrast, the A300-600ST is derived from the company’s shorter-fuselage A300. (www.airbus.com) More...

An Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300, registration A6-ETL performing flight EY-450 from Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 329 passengers, was in the initial climb out of Abu Dhabi's runway 13R when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet due to problems with the left hand engine (GE90) (avherald.com) More...

Airbus’s first A350-1000 remains on course for a maiden flight in the current quarter, as the test fleet nears completion. The first A350-1000, MSN59, has been fitted with its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines while the second aircraft, MSN65, is being equipped with a full passenger cabin. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Colorado-based Boom Technology has unveiled the XB-1 supersonic demonstrator that will be used to refine the aerodynamics and propulsion for a Mach 2.2, 40-seat airliner and private jet planned to enter service in the early 2020s. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Spirit Airlines, headquartered in Miramar, Florida (U.S.), took delivery last Friday of the very first A320neo to be delivered to a U.S. customer. It is the first of 55 A320neo Family aircraft the low-cost carrier has ordered (five leased from AerCap, 50 ordered from Airbus). All of Spirit’s A320neo Family aircraft will be powered by Pratt & Whitney Pure Power PW1100-JM engines. (www.airbus.com) More...

When it comes to blingy first class cabins, I think those of Emirates and Etihad are the first two which come to kind. The Emirates first class cabin is perhaps the most easily recognizable even to those who have never flown it before, while the new Etihad A380 First Class Apartments are stunning, even if they’re not as well known. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to compare the A380 first class products on Emirates and Etihad —which is better, Emirates A380 first class or Etihad… (www.aviationfigure.com) More...

Viking Air has completed its acquisition of Bombardier’s amphibious aircraft programme, including the transfer of the type certificates for the CL-215, CL-215T and CL-415 water bombers. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

This is the terrifying moment that a passenger travelling from Dubai to London spotted a fighter jet next to her window. Sabrina Fawaz was travelling with her husband on the British Airways flight BA108 on Saturday when the plane temporarily lost communications with air traffic control as it entered Hungarian air space causing two Hungarian Air Force Gripens to be scrambled. (www.dailymail.co.uk) More...

Just back from conducting route proving runs for launch CS300 operator Air Baltic, Bombardier offered FlightGlobal the chance to fly its second example, and see first-hand how the model compares with other 130-seat narrowbodies. I accompanied Andy Litavniks, Bombardier’s chief CS300 test pilot, on the pre-flight walk-around inspection. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

An American Airlines flight attendant used a lighter to start a fire in an airplane bathroom and then pretended to discover it and put it out, according to a federal criminal complaint. Johnathan Tafoya-Montano is charged with destroying an aircraft/aircraft facility and making false statements in connection to the Feb. 1 incident on Flight 1418 from Dallas to Detroit. (airlinenews.in) More...

The world beyond the clouds still lays unexplored. Forget us earthlings who can’t fly that far; even those who regularly take flights above are left happily stunned by the beauty the heavens have to offer. Santiago Borja is an Ecuador Airlines pilot and while flying his aircraft over the Pacific Ocean near Panama, he chanced upon the most spectacular view of a thunderstorm brewing. And losing no time, he took these amazing captures. (airlinenews.in) More...

The federal government plans to raise the cap on foreign ownership of Canadian airlines and adopt a passenger bill of rights in a bid to drive down fares and protect travelers faced with airline delays. (www.ctvnews.ca) More...

South African Airways said on Thursday it had blacklisted a passenger after it became aware of claims that a theft syndicate was operating on certain international routes. This comes after Johannesburg resident Warren Becker complained that about R30 000 in foreign currency was stolen from his in-flight baggage while he slept on a flight from Johannesburg to Hong Kong on December 21 last year, Traveller24 reported. (www.msn.com) More...

Travellers will not be permitted to board Air Canada or Air Canada Express aircraft with this device or in their checked luggage. Customers arriving at the airport with the device and attempting to travel could experience travel disruptions and possibly miss their flight. (www.canadianinsider.com) More...

Thursday, December 1, 2016 — 1 December 2016 – DUBAI, UAE – Emirates today launched the world’s shortest scheduled A380 service, flying a distance of 379 kilometres with a total travel time of 1 hour and 20 minutes from Dubai to Doha, and 1 hour 10 minutes on the return journey. The A380 flight touched down this morning at Hamad International Airport, taxiing in to a water cannon salute and was welcomed by key officials and trade guests at an Emirates reception at the terminal. Travelling on… (www.emirates.com) More...

LEXINGTON, KY Newly released video shows a Lexington, Ky. man being subdued by a pilot after a confrontation with the flight crew of an American Airlines flight to Charlotte. “You don’t put your hands on my flight attendant!” the pilot said as tackled the passenger. (www.stumbleupon.com) More...

Bombardier said it will increase the formal specifications for the CSeries CS300, as the aircraft’s per seat and trip costs have already proven 2% better than its original brochure values. “Within six months we’ve got a two-member family into revenue service. That’s never been done before,” Bombardier president commercial aircraft Fred Cromer said last week at the CS300’s unveiling with Latvian launch customer airBaltic. (atwonline.com) More...

A Germania Boeing 737-700, registration D-AGEL performing flight ST-3108 from Muenster (Germany) to Malaga,SP (Spain) with 118 passengers and 5 crew, had just levelled off at cruise level FL350 when the crew reported the smell of smoke in the cockpit (avherald.com) More...

A clever father, who is a Washington D.C.-based pilot, pulled off the surprise of a lifetime on board one of his flights this month. When Capt Mario Lopes, a United Airlines pilot, learned his son was set to return from Kuwait on April 14, he jumped at the opportunity to pilot a military flight to Norfolk, Virginia that same day. Unsure if it was coincidence or fate, Lopes followed his intuition and was able to surprise his son, First Lt Mario Lopes who ended up being a passenger on the flight… (airlinenews.in) More...

Japan’s two biggest airlines said today, they are changing routes for some flights as North Korea plans to launch what it says will be a satellite-bearing rocket later this month. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines said that between February 8 to 25, the launch window announced by Pyongyang, they will divert planes that fly over waters off the Philippines where missile parts and debris are expected to fall after the launch. (airlinenews.in) More...

The windshield of an Air India B-787 Dreamliner cracked while flying into Chennai from Singapore on Sunday. However, the aircraft was landed safely and then grounded. AI has faced several instances of windshield cracks in the Boeing 787 and the US major has in last two to three years carried out several modifications to check this issue. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) More...

South African Airways (SAA), has taken delivery of its first of five new leased A330-300 widebody jetliners, becoming Airbus’s first Southern African operator of the aircraft type. (www.airbus.com) More...

Frontier Airlines, headquarters in Denver, Colorado (U.S.), took delivery today of its first A320neo. Frontier is the first U.S. airline to receive an A320neo with CFM engines, and the aircraft is the first of 80 A320neo Family aircraft the low-cost carrier has ordered. All of Frontier’s A320neo Family aircraft will be powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines. (www.airbus.com) More...

Bombardier delivered the first CS300 aircraft to launch operator airBaltic Nov. 28. The CS300 is the larger variant of Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft, which is designed to carry between 130 and 150 passengers in a two-class layout. (atwonline.com) More...